₹11,000 salary, owner of 5 houses: Contractual worker at centre of PNB chest’s ₹17-cr fake notes recovery

A contract worker earning around ₹11,000 a month has emerged as a key focus of the investigation into ₹17.29 crore in counterfeit currency recovered from a Punjab National Bank (PNB) currency chest in Saharanpur, according to a police officer familiar with the probe.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is examining the worker’s assets, financial transactions and reported proximity to the currency chest manager, Amit Kumar, who has already been suspended by the bank.

The worker, employed as a driver-loader at the currency chest, may be the effective owner of five houses, an SUV, a sedan and two motorcycles, the officer said. Investigators are examining when the assets were acquired, whose names they were registered in and the source of funds used to purchase them.

However, investigators have so far not established a direct link between the assets and the counterfeit currency, the officer said. The worker’s reported proximity to the suspended manager has nevertheless prompted investigators to scrutinise his possible role.

Worker’s Role Under Scanner

The officer said the worker’s official duties were limited to driving and loading, but he allegedly spent considerable time at the currency chest and functioned more like the manager’s personal assistant.

A currency chest is a bank facility used to store and manage large quantities of cash on behalf of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

“His access to the facility, the nature of work he actually performed and whether he had access to cash-handling areas are being scrutinised,” the officer said.

His reported lifestyle has also attracted investigators’ attention. Despite earning about ₹11,000 a month, he allegedly hired another driver for around ₹500 a day instead of regularly driving himself.

Investigators are examining property documents, bank accounts, vehicle registrations and payment trails to determine whether his declared income can explain the assets linked to him.

Police raided his residence in Manakmau on Wednesday and are examining documents and other material recovered during the search.

How Did ₹17.29 Crore in Fake Notes Enter PNB Currency Chest?

The asset trail is significant as investigators attempt to reconstruct how ₹17.29 crore in counterfeit notes entered a PNB currency chest intended to hold genuine cash.

The NIA is examining whether counterfeit notes were substituted for genuine currency and, if so, what happened to the original cash.

Investigators are also exploring whether the case is connected to a larger network, including a possible foreign link.

Cash movement records and banking transactions are expected to help investigators determine how the counterfeit currency entered the banking system and whether any of the fake notes subsequently entered circulation.